2026 World Cup: 28 million Nigerians follow football on TikTok- report

TikTok is quickly becoming a platform for sports lovers in Nigeria, as data has shown that 59 per cent of Nigeria’s 47.8 million users follow football on the platform. This was disclosed during the #SportsOnTikTok mixer held in Lagos on Friday.

This comes even as the company says it is becoming a core viewing destination for sports, with users watching a live game on TikTok while simultaneously scrolling through the platform so they want to see what other people are saying about the game.

Speaking about this, TikTok Head of Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa, Keagile Makgoba, pointed out that the social media platform is fast becoming a second screen to main screens.

“If someone is watching a game, they want to know what their peers are thinking. They want to know what their community is thinking about a game. They want to know what their favourite sports creator thinks and how this favourite sports creator has broken down the conversation that is happening. They also want to know how they can be sharing their thoughts as well, and that’s the entire point,” she said.

Keagile Makgoba

More women are accessing sports through TikTok

TikTok’s report also noted that 64 per cent of women choose TikTok as their go-to platform for sports content. Indeed, 46 per cent of sport content viewership came from women in Q1, 2025. 

Explaining the reason for this, Keagile noted that for sports like football, it is no longer just about the goals and what happens on the pitch; there is as much interest in what happens off the pitch as well.  

“What the coaches are saying to the players, we are seeing people share recipes around what kind of food they are making ahead of big games. We saw a lot of people host their friends to watch parties as well, and that, in itself, shows you that it’s a community engagement platform. So more and more people are coming together to enjoy different aspects of sports,” Keaghile noted.

She said that TikTok has redefined the way sports content is consumed, with focus shifting to other aspects like what players are wearing, celebrations, which music the players are vibing to and which artists performed at the events, what these artists are wearing

“So this fashion and football, for example, that comes together- this food and football that comes together. But more than anything, there’s culture. So it’s not just about the actual sport itself, but it’s around the culture around sports that makes women say, ‘Hey, we want to be a part of the conversation as well.’ So I think that’s why you’re starting to see a lot more women take up sports and take an interest in sports as well,” she explained.

See also: Supporting Africa at the 2026 World Cup will cost travelling fans £23,000